Individual protective armor.



mi. FLANAGAN.

Patented Ang. 20, 191s.

y 'ze ease ofmovement and 'ramos o. nanou.' or nnw'yonx, 1r. Y.

nrnmnpar. reo'rec'rrvn more Y To all whom #may concern.' v

Beit known that I, Pan-axon C. FLANAGAN, a citizen of lthe'United States of America, residingl at 'the borough of Manhattan; in the city, c'ol.1 nty,'and'Statel of New York,

have invented. certain new and useful Immovements' iii-Individual Protective Armor, 0f which' the vfollowing is a specification,

reference being'V had to. the accompanying drawi` l `This invention relates to im 'rovements in individual protective armor esigned Ato be worn by a'soldierjor thevpurpoae of affordiing-him-Hprotectionon the field of battle and particularly to-improvements inv the ro tective`armor"illustrated imddeicri `in `Patent No. 1,238,120 anted` me August 28, 1917. 1 An ob'ect o `this invention is to provide armor o the general character described and shown infthe aforesaid patent with means by whicl'l'he parts of the armor nre given freedom of movement relatively to thparts of the body of the wearer, and greater protection nre afforded to the` latter.. v

In ,the drawings illustrating the principle ofthis invention and the lbest inode now `known to me of applying that principle,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the armor; Fig. 2 is'a sideelevation of the same, parts beinglishown broken away for sake of 4elear- 4neil@ofilluat'ravton Fig.3 is aplan; Fig. iis a detail illustrating thel mountingrof the headpiece or helmet;'Fig.l5 is u detail showing the pivotal connection between the shoulderengaging supporter-'and .thebreastplate or y-a'rmor; and Fig. 6 :sa detail in pen` "ancetopenetratiom From the vertical mid "flbolt-lfty degrees (Fie 3); und atffhe topz'of each of; theseisides, the breastplate b g. y l

:fo-called f shock troops maybe 'called upon to pprforrn in raiding. trench'fjwurfire or' Moreover, owiri'g` to itilline'ofthebreat late"b`,euch side thereof inolines rearwardy through un angle of is formed with "a laterallymrojecting a `.uhfou'Idee-piede c tha-t fits over the soldier i "Bhelder'and protects the same. 0n the in fageof. each eide of the` breastplate b,

1.8.-' mn 4"eticall'y. a `series lof he bowfa aped leaffsprings d which mlmtktqgether by an upright strip @the several springsd aremade in tlfe foregoing lowermostv branch y of the forke of the supporter f curves d'ownwar ly andi inwardly and is free from cm'iectyionvwith' the breustplnte b, whilethe upper bra'nhh l Speelcatlon of Letter: Patent. u Patented Augf20, ppucauon ma apru, ma. serial mi. 226,314. I f'* to act in unison and mutually sup gcribd" another. The parts of the-armor yare disclosed in my patent above-mentioned.

4The armor is 4fastened to the soldierrs Y in the `followin manner: Over each ofthe' soldiers'shoul ers,v there is Afitted e` crook--` shaped -upright supporterf the upperf end i of which is hi'furcated. (See Fi?. 2). The

extends horizontally'*inward and fis formed",

atv its inner end with 'an upright pivot-pin` w'hiclrpasses thro'lllghl an eye jfastenedto the inner face of tbc'brcu'stp'lut b. Asis shown clearly in Fig. 5, the length offthe pivot-pin i is siifiiciently great to pel'Init-Lof. its'ppluylng freely up and` down in its bears. mg j,'whlle it is, of collrse. free towtun.

therein. The upright fir leg Apnrtof each supporter f isV formed with u series of eyes f' nrrunged'one above the otherz'- und', thro hV these eyes j'. nre. passed `horizontaily-disposed .straps Ic one end of eaih of which is rend secured 'las at k', Fig. 3) to the'innerffiloe of the breastplatgb, while the other end is engaged by the-tongue fm' of-n buckle Vm carried by the outer end of lwstrapo the inner end of 'which fastened tothe inner face of the breastplute b at n 'poi-nt 71 horizontully opposite the point [flatr Vwhich/the plate b. 71" upon the supporters- `und securingthe latter andi the body, with `the cushioning Isprings inter-- coperatir strap-1^ is attached toth'e breast:

Vposed between; `the sameundthe breast'plaife b, great .flexibility is imp-rted Vto the-urinoinnd vthe soldier is'. allowed freedom ofnuiwe-` The armorment.. .while wegring'it.

.ithus mounting thebreastpl'ate `nfeastpluteb to the soldies naw conformy to thejinorements of and `the aty.

tiimles assumed Vy the body of the soldier,

in walking.

' `ging his'rifle, 'fighting-wit open fighting. y mounting.4 the armor .will yield readily.` to impact, no mutter-from what directionthe blow may fall. Y

T0 the wp of um bmnplmf@ the .la secured a hozontallyfdsposedring whi'h I is `i.shped in transverse section (Fig. 2)

The helmet a 'is held against ren'oval by and serves as a raceway for the balls r, upon which rests the unnulax` flange" .s that pro- 'ectsf'roin the bottom of the helmet a just low theI slits a formed therein vand afford ing to the soldier a view of his surroundings.

" ineens of hcoklike projections t that engage under'the'bottom or annular flange g which projects in v'elidllyy from the ring Q and upon whichrun the balls 7' (Fig. 2'). Above the ring g, there projects inwardly, from, the

flipper' edge-portion of the breast-plate b an annular i p or flange y that overlie's the flanges. projecting from the helmet a. This flange serves to prevent foreign matter r vgaining access to-the" ballgraeewa-y, in @the laccom lishment of' which' object, it' is adedby tli e outwardly-projeeting flange s. In order to relieve' the latter of much of the Weight of the helmet a and to malte the rotai tion of thesame as frictionless'asniay be;7 the y `fol1w`ing construction is provided (Figl 4) the helmet a and inthe c'r'own therea helx'net-upporter w S0 mounted, the helli'et a; is free 'tospin 'around dn the pivot-pin fu.'

In my;4 'arxnor'hereinbefore described, the

'supporters f 'areheld, by the straps 7.1,

A4-0l arrangement o -wardly-curved branches vgserve likewise to retain these supporters f thereon. By this I parts, the breastplat b is held*'yieldingljgi yet securely, on the soldier ence or harn'p'ering, of his/movements than greater discomfort, inconvenwould result from the Wear-in of a cornparat-ively heavy outer garment y him. By fastening the. ends oi' a sling-strap (not show'nl-'to the eyes or loops a: at the lower (alge-portion of the breast-plate b and passinglhe sling-strap over onesllonldel and' under the arm on his opposite side, the soldiei' may readily carry his armor without wearing the saine.

1. An l'armor of the charater described, `including ,a bieastplateg" supporting devices therefor adapted to pass over .the'shoulde'rs of the soldier and extend along his-hack and. means for bindingsnid Supportersto the soldiers body; the upper inner ends of said supporters being pivtallygattached,to said breastplate and of such length as to lslidevv lengthwise vin their. bearings.'

2. An armor of the `character described, including a` breastplate ;v supporting devices tliei-efor z ulapted to pass over the shoulders of the soldier and extend 'along hisback andv Y* haring h iijvvnrdly and downwardly-V curved branches Aserying tol elasp-ll'iis chest; and' ineansfor binding Said; supporters Lto the soldiers body; the -.'u-'p'p er, innerklv endsof said supporters lbeing separatedffroin' said branches andl pivotally` attached o-'Vsaid 3. An n rnior of vthe' character described, including; b ody armor; la helmet snpportingdevice supported therebyand-a'=helmet the ytop of ulrichis pivotally mounted 'nv'said device. y

Signed at the borough of Manhattan,- c'ity, $0

county and State of New York, this tneiitgseventhV dayv of March, A. DQ' 1918, in t e presence oi the two-undersigned Witnesses. PATRICK FLANAGM Witnesses:

i GEORGE E. BnowN, JAMEsHAHmmN, Q 

